Ultra High-throughput Small Punch Test Machine for Maximum Efficiency

Ultra High-Throughput SPT automates the entire testing process. Here's a simplified breakdown of how it works: 1. Sample Loading: Up to 100 different SPT samples, each with varying thickness or composition, can be placed on a lower sample-holding table. 2. Automated Testing: Once the samples are loaded, the machine takes over with full automation: The testing/clamping head assembly moves in three directions to position itself over each SPT sample. The clamping applicator descends along the Z' axis, making contact with the sample and applying a specific clamping load. The punch, nested within the clamping applicator, moves downward along the Z'' axis to perform the test. After completing the test, both the clamping applicator and punch retract, and the head assembly moves to the next SPT sample. 3. Displacement Recording: The machine uses an encoder to track punch movement via a lead screw. An LVDT attached to the punch records displacement closer to the test area. 4. Load Measurement: Separate load cells measure the loads applied by the clamping applicator and the punch. 5. Home Location: The head assembly returns to a designated home location after completing all tests. 6. Data Utilization: The load-displacement data gathered during each test is used to predict the plastic stress-strain response of each respective sample. Ultra High-Throughput SPT automates the entire SPT testing process offering a hands-off approach similar to overnight additive manufacturing. Tensile testing is a destructive testing method that provides crucial information on tensile strength, yield strength, ductility, fracture toughness, ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, and other properties related to the breaking point of materials. However, traditional methods are slow, expensive, and labor-intensive. NASAs Ultra High-Throughput Small Punch Test Machine (Ultra High-Throughput SPT) is an automated SPT machine that can estimate mechanical properties of the desired materials from a small thin disk ((generally 8 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm thick) through its high-fidelity stress-strain data output) within a sample size ranging from hundreds to thousands before human intervention is necessary. It's faster, cost-effective, and fully automated. One of the key innovations of Ultra High-Throughput SPT is its automated pinpoint clamping and testing mechanism, eliminating the need for the enclosed fixtures commonly associated with modern SPT methods. This not only accelerates the testing process but also enhances precision, a game-changer in materials assessment. Ultra High-Throughput SPT handles numerous samples efficiently, saving time and resources, making it a reliable, cost-effective solution for various industries and research. NASA seeks licensees to develop the technology into a product that will upgrade tensile testing.